This weekend I drove down to Hatteras NC for a deep sea fishing trip. Well I got the the end of Hatteras by about 9pm. I go to the hotel before I realize I have no food for the charter the next day. I drive all around for a while and can't find anything. I finally turn the car off and a few minutes later I get back in, try to turn the key and nothing at all. I have plenty of power but doesn't even do anything but click once. After looking around for a bit with my brother we didn't come up with anything so we push start it and head back the hotel.

The next day after the fishing trip we get back out and still nothing. So we push start it again. We got about 15 or so miles down the road (to any one that has never been down to Hatteras there is NOTHING OUT THERE) and a bunch of lights started going off (traction control, active handling and ABS.) So I was like WTF?!?!? Ok what ever I don't need any of that right now so let keep truckin. Well about 10 minutes later another light pops up and it say's "check gauges" so look down and my volt's are dropping like crazy. Well my light's start fading and we are in the middle of no where. Before I can stop we are on the bridge (a really REALLY long one with NO SHOULDERS.) This is a huge problem because I have no damn light's and if we stop no one can see us. Then the car starts spuddering, so I just floor it. Granted the gauges aren't working any more but guessing by how fast we were going over the dividers on the bridge I would say 110-120. Now I am going 120 with no power steering or power brakes so fun stuff. I live to get off of the bridge and start hitting the brakes and guess what everything comes back. Now from being a long distance runner my resting heart rate is 47 bpm I would guess it was about 200 driving over the bridge. I stop to get gas and of course still won't start. After a few push starts we made it back to my brothers place in Newport News then the next day after I came home. I dropped it off at Koon's Chevy last night so we shall see...

I am thinking a bad ground but I don't know???

 

damn....hope they get it figured out.....

 

EEEK...

Bad ground or bad battery is the likely suspect. Have you changed out the battery? Also check to make sure PCM hasn't been leaked on.

Chris

 

I tried to jump it so I could rule out the battery and it jumps fine. On the way back home the voltage would fluctate every so often from 13.9 to 12.0 for 5-10 minutes back to 13.1 and so on...

 

Sounds like a bad battery or connection to me. Keep me updated!

 

Sorry I meant to say it doesn't jump at all...

 

Why would you not have power steering and brakes with the engine running fast enough to go 120? Those are not related to electrical woes.

 

Sounds like the positive and/or negative battery cables. Check the connections at the battery and at the starter/engine block.

Believe it or not,,,,,it could also be a BAD BATTERY with an internal short/open terminal!!! How old is the battery and what kind is it?? If you say OEM Delco,, were all going to say CHANGE IT!!

BC

 

I would lean towards a bad battery, these cars behave very badly with a bad/weak battery.

 

Well the engine cut out thats why I say I didn't have it. As far as the battery goes, I just got off of the phone with the dealer and they said there is a loose lead right now from the starter and they can't tighten it because it's internal... The bad part is they want 900 to replace the starter (300 for the part) and 500 because they have to take off the headers.

 

Internally shorted batteries often won't jump. The fact that you could bump start it tells me that the charging system is working.

First hint of electrical problems - change the battery. It seems to solve many problems. Put a Red Top gel battery in it.

 

I had my column lock up on me down in Salvo on Hetteras Island, right after dinner the night i dropve down from NY. That was a nightmare because the closest chevy dealership was about 70 miles away, closest flatbed about the same. Bad island for corvettes I guess.

 

GIT that CAR out of that STEALERSHIP!!!!!!! You can do this your self and save a TON of cash!!!! Sounds like a bunch of hog wash to me!!!

$500 to drop a header!!!! Give me a freaken break! I have a bridge for sale if your interested!!

Pay the theft his diagnosistic fee, get the cause of the problem in writing and move on!! Get the car home and take this on your self!! It isnt rocket science. A remanufactured starter is a LOT less expensive that that!

Bill

 

Well I took it out to Phil (Phil97SVT) and now he has his hands on it. I feel so much better when I have some one I trust working on my car. I got the line on a re-man starter I hope it works out ok. I was always cool with putting those on my SS or WS6 I just feel weird putting them on my Vette. I was talking to some one last night has any one heard of a starter blanket to protect it from the heat of the Kooks?

 

Your in GOOD HANDS my man!!! Phil is one of the best!!!

Bill Curlee

 

Well, Koons Chevrolet in Va told Josh that the mounting lug on the starter was loose on the inside and could not be tightened. They said that he needed to replace the starter to fix the loose terminal. I pulled the car in minutes ago, pulled the plug wires, repositioned the wires on the starter and ran it down. Tightened up to 15ft/lbs and seems like the voltage issues are gone.

 

And it came to only $200!!

 

KOON'S = STEALERSHIP!!!!!!!

Great job Phil!

 

Once again. Phil's the man!

 

Actually they told him $900.
Phil